Wilding review – a biodiversity success story in West Sussex
‘Sun-dappled footage of heaven on earth’: Tamworth piglets on the West Sussex estate in Wilding. Photograph: Passion Planet
Half puff job, half genuinely inspirational record of a rare eco-success story, David Allen’s documentary revolves around aristocratic farmer Charlie Burrell and his wife, Isabella Tree. The pair own 1,400 hectares (3,500 acres) of land in West Sussex and since 2001 have been engaged in an “experiment” to make the estate both biodiverse and profitable. Basically, they’ve allowed the animals and the vegetation to take care of themselves, and it’s pleasant, as well as eye-opening, to watch jays, beavers, diving pigs and a heroic swarm of butterflies do their thing. Equally rousing are the antics of Exmoor pony and class-war warrior Duncan, who is triggered by VIP events. In 2022’s Cow, Andrea Arnold tracked the hellish existence of Luma, a wild-eyed and permanently bloated dairy cow. See Cow and Wilding back to back to truly appreciate Allen’s sun-dappled footage of heaven on earth.
In UK and Irish cinemas now